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January 11
Events * 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence. *1055 – Theodora is crowned Empress of the Byzantine Empire. *1158 – Vladislaus II, Duke of Bohemia becomes King of Bohemia. *1569 – First recorded lottery in England. *1571 – Austrian nobility is granted freedom of religion. *1693 – A powerful earthquake destroys parts of Sicily and Malta. *1759 – In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the first American life insurance company is incorporated. *1779 – Ching-Thang Khomba is crowned King of Manipur. *1787 – William Herschel discovers Titania and Oberon, two moons of Uranus. *1805 – The Michigan Territory is created. *1861 – Alabama secedes from the United States. *1863 – American Civil War: Battle of Arkansas Post: General John McClernand and Admiral David Dixon Porter capture the Arkansas River for the Union. * 1863 – American Civil War: encounters and sinks the off Galveston Lighthouse in Texas. *1879 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins. *1908 – Grand Canyon National Monument is created. *1912 – Immigrant textile works in Lawrence, Massachusetts, go on strike when wages are reduced in response to a mandated shortening of the work week. *1917 – The Kingsland munitions factory explosion occurs as a result of sabotage. *1922 – First use of insulin to treat diabetes in a human patient. *1923 – Occupation of the Ruhr: Troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area to force Germany to make its World War I reparation payments. *1927 – Louis B. Mayer, head of film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), announces the creation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, at a banquet in Los Angeles, California. *1935 – Amelia Earhart becomes the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California. *1942 – World War II: The Japanese capture Kuala Lumpur. *1942 – World War II: The Japanese attack Tarakan in Borneo, Netherlands Indies (Battle of Tarakan) *1943 – The Republic of China agrees to the Sino-British New Equal Treaty and the Sino-American New Equal Treaty. * 1943 – Italian-American anarchist Carlo Tresca is assassinated in New York City. *1946 – Enver Hoxha, Secretary General of the Communist Party of Albania, declares the People's Republic of Albania with himself as head of state. *1949 – The first "networked" television broadcasts took place as KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania goes on the air connecting the east coast and mid-west programming. *1957 – The African Convention is founded in Dakar, Senegal. *1962 – Cold War: While tied to its pier in Polyarny, the Soviet submarine B-37 is destroyed when fire breaks out in its torpedo compartment. * 1962 – An avalanche on Huascarán in Peru causes around 4,000 deaths. *1964 – Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Luther Terry, M.D., publishes the landmark report Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States saying that smoking may be hazardous to health, sparking national and worldwide anti-smoking efforts. *1972 – East Pakistan renames itself Bangladesh. *1973 – Major League Baseball owners vote in approval of the American League adopting the designated hitter position. *1986 – The Gateway Bridge, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia is officially opened. *1994 – The Irish Government announces the end of a 15-year broadcasting ban on the IRA and its political arm Sinn Féin. *1996 – Space Shuttle program: STS-72 launches from the Kennedy Space Center marking the start of the 74th Space Shuttle mission and the 10th flight of Endeavour. *1998 – Over 100 people are killed in the Sidi-Hamed massacre in Algeria. *2003 – Illinois Governor George Ryan commutes the death sentences of 167 prisoners on Illinois's death row based on the Jon Burge scandal. *2013 – One French soldier and 17 militants are killed in a failed attempt to free a French hostage in Bulo Marer, Somalia. Births * 347 – Theodosius I, Roman emperor (d. 395) * 889 – Abd-ar-Rahman III, first Caliph of Córdoba (d. 961) *1113 – Wang Chongyang, Chinese religious leader and poet (d. 1170) *1209 – Möngke Khan, Mongolian emperor (d. 1259) *1322 – Emperor Kōmyō of Japan (d. 1380) *1359 – Emperor Go-En'yū of Japan (d. 1393) *1591 – Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire (d. 1646) *1624 – Bastiaan Govertsz van der Leeuw, Dutch painter (d. 1680) *1630 – John Rogers, English-American minister, physician, and academic (d. 1684) *1638 – Nicolas Steno, Danish bishop and anatomist (d. 1686) *1642 – Johann Friedrich Alberti, German organist and composer (d. 1710) *1650 – Diana Glauber, Dutch-German painter (d. 1721) *1671 – François-Marie, 1st duc de Broglie, French general and diplomat (d. 1745) *1755 – Alexander Hamilton, Nevisian-American general, economist and politician, 1st United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1804) *1757 – Samuel Bentham, English engineer and architect (d. 1831) *1760 – Oliver Wolcott Jr., American lawyer and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of the Treasury, 24th Governor of Connecticut (d. 1833) *1777 – Vincenzo Borg, Maltese merchant and rebel leader (d. 1837) *1786 – Joseph Jackson Lister, English physicist (d. 1869) *1788 – William Thomas Brande, English chemist and academic (d. 1866) *1800 – Ányos Jedlik, Hungarian physicist and engineer (d. 1895) *1807 – Ezra Cornell, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Western Union and Cornell University (d. 1874) *1814 – James Paget, English surgeon and pathologist (d. 1899) *1815 – John A. Macdonald, Scottish-Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1891) *1825 – Bayard Taylor, American poet, author, and critic (d. 1878) *1839 – Eugenio María de Hostos, Puerto Rican lawyer, philosopher, and sociologist (d. 1903) *1842 – William James, American psychologist and philosopher (d. 1910) *1845 – Albert Victor Bäcklund, Swedish mathematician and physicist (d. 1912) *1850 – Joseph Charles Arthur, American pathologist and mycologist (d. 1942) *1852 – Constantin Fehrenbach, German lawyer and politician, 4th Chancellor of Weimar Germany (d. 1926) *1853 – Georgios Jakobides, Greek painter and sculptor (d. 1932) *1856 – Christian Sinding, Norwegian pianist and composer (d. 1932) *1857 – Fred Archer, English jockey (d. 1886) *1858 – Harry Gordon Selfridge, American-English businessman, founded Selfridges (d. 1947) *1859 – George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, English politician, 35th Governor-General of India (d. 1925) *1864 – Thomas Dixon, Jr., American minister, lawyer, and politician (d. 1946) *1867 – Edward B. Titchener, English psychologist and academic (d. 1927) *1868 – Cai Yuanpei, Chinese philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1940) *1870 – Alexander Stirling Calder, American sculptor and educator (d. 1945) *1872 – G. W. Pierce, American physicist and academic (d. 1956) *1873 – John Callan O'Laughlin, American soldier and journalist (d. 1949) *1875 – Reinhold Glière, Russian composer and academic (d. 1956) *1876 – Elmer Flick, American baseball player (d. 1971) * 1876 – Thomas Hicks, American runner (d. 1952) *1878 – Theodoros Pangalos, Greek general and politician, President of Greece (d. 1952) *1885 – Alice Paul, American activist (d. 1977) *1887 – Aldo Leopold, American ecologist and author (d. 1948) *1888 – Joseph B. Keenan, American jurist and politician (d. 1954) *1889 – Calvin Bridges, American geneticist and academic (d. 1938) *1890 – Max Carey, American baseball player and manager (d. 1976) * 1890 – Oswald de Andrade, Brazilian poet and critic (d. 1954) *1891 – Andrew Sockalexis, American runner (d. 1919) *1893 – Ellinor Aiki, Estonian painter (d. 1969) * 1893 – Charles Fraser, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1981) * 1893 – Anthony M. Rud, American journalist and author (d. 1942) *1895 – Laurens Hammond, American engineer and businessman, founded the Hammond Clock Company (d. 1973) *1897 – Bernard DeVoto, American historian and author (d. 1955) * 1897 – August Heissmeyer, German SS officer (d. 1979) *1899 – Eva Le Gallienne, English-American actress, director, and producer (d. 1991) *1901 – Kwon Ki-ok, North Korean pilot (d. 1988) *1902 – Maurice Duruflé, French organist and composer (d. 1986) *1903 – Alan Paton, South African author and activist (d. 1988) *1905 – Clyde Kluckhohn, American anthropologist and theorist (d. 1960) *1906 – Albert Hofmann, Swiss chemist and academic, discoverer of LSD (d. 2008) *1907 – Pierre Mendès France, French lawyer and politician, 142nd Prime Minister of France (d. 1982) * 1907 – Abraham Joshua Heschel, Polish-American rabbi, theologian, and philosopher (d. 1972) *1908 – Lionel Stander, American actor and activist (d. 1994) *1910 – Arthur Lambourn, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1999) * 1910 – Shane Paltridge, Australian soldier and politician (d. 1966) *1911 – Tommy Duncan, American Western swing singer-songwriter (d. 1967) * 1911 – Nora Heysen, Australian painter (d. 2003) * 1911 – Zenkō Suzuki, Japanese politician, 70th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2004) *1912 – Don "Red" Barry, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1980) *1913 – Karl Stegger, Danish actor (d. 1980) *1915 – Luise Krüger, German javelin thrower (d. 2001) * 1915 – Paddy Mayne, British colonel and lawyer (d. 1955) *1916 – Bernard Blier, Argentinian-French actor (d. 1989) *1917 – John Robarts, Canadian lawyer and politician, 17th Premier of Ontario (d. 1982) *1918 – Robert C. O'Brien, American author and journalist (d. 1973) *1920 – Mick McManus, English wrestler (d. 2013) *1921 – Gory Guerrero, American wrestler and trainer (d. 1990) * 1921 – Juanita M. Kreps, American economist and politician, 24th United States Secretary of Commerce (d. 2010) *1923 – Jerome Bixby, American author and screenwriter (d. 1998) * 1923 – Ernst Nolte, German historian and philosopher (d. 2016) * 1923 – Carroll Shelby, American race car driver, engineer, and businessman, founded Carroll Shelby International (d. 2012) *1924 – Roger Guillemin, French-American physician and endocrinologist, Nobel Prize laureate * 1924 – Sam B. Hall, Jr., American lawyer, judge, and politician (d. 1994) * 1924 – Slim Harpo, American blues singer-songwriter and musician (d. 1970) *1925 – Grant Tinker, American television producer, co-founded MTM Enterprises (d. 2016) *1926 – Lev Dyomin, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1998) *1928 – Alan Bowness, English historian and curator * 1928 – David L. Wolper, American director and producer (d. 2010) *1929 – Dmitri Bruns, Estonian architect and theorist *1930 – Ron Mulock, Australian lawyer and politician, 10th Deputy Premier of New South Wales (d. 2014) * 1930 – Rod Taylor, Australian-American actor and screenwriter (d. 2015) *1931 – Betty Churcher, Australian painter, historian, and curator (d. 2015) * 1931 – Mary Rodgers, American composer and author (d. 2014) *1932 – Alfonso Arau, Mexican actor and director *1933 – Goldie Hill, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005) *1934 – Jean Chrétien, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Canada *1936 – Eva Hesse, German-American sculptor and educator (d. 1970) *1938 – Arthur Scargill, English miner, activist, and politician *1939 – Anne Heggtveit, Canadian alpine skier *1940 – Andres Tarand, Estonian geographer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Estonia *1941 – Gérson, Brazilian footballer *1942 – Bud Acton, American basketball player * 1942 – Clarence Clemons, American saxophonist and actor (d. 2011) * 1942 – Leo Cullum, American soldier, pilot, and cartoonist (d. 2010) * 1942 – George Mira, American football player *1943 – Jim Hightower, American journalist and politician *1944 – Mohammed Abdul-Hayy, Sudanese poet and academic (d. 1989) * 1944 – Shibu Soren, Indian politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Jharkhand *1945 – Christine Kaufmann, German actress, author, and businesswoman *1946 – Naomi Judd, American singer-songwriter and actress * 1946 – Tony Kaye, English progressive rock keyboard player and songwriter (Yes) * 1946 – John Piper, American theologian and author *1947 – Hamish Macdonald, New Zealand rugby player *1948 – Fritz Bohla, German footballer and manager * 1948 – Joe Harper, Scottish footballer and manager * 1948 – Wajima Hiroshi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 54th Yokozuna * 1948 – Madeline Manning, American runner and coach * 1948 – Terry Williams, Welsh drummer *1949 – Daryl Braithwaite, Australian singer-songwriter * 1949 – Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Iranian lawyer and politician, 2nd Vice President of Iran *1951 – Charlie Huhn, American rock singer and guitarist * 1951 – Willie Maddren, English footballer and manager (d. 2000) * 1951 – Philip Tartaglia, Scottish archbishop *1952 – Bille Brown, Australian actor and playwright (d. 2013) * 1952 – Ben Crenshaw, American golfer and architect * 1952 – Michael Forshaw, Australian lawyer and politician * 1952 – Diana Gabaldon, American author * 1952 – Lee Ritenour, American guitarist, composer, and producer *1953 – Graham Allen, English politician, Vice-Chamberlain of the Household * 1953 – Kostas Skandalidis, Greek engineer and politician, Greek Minister of Agricultural Development and Food *1954 – Jaak Aaviksoo, Estonian physicist and politician, 26th Estonian Minister of Defence * 1954 – Kailash Satyarthi, Indian engineer, academic, and activist, Nobel Prize laureate *1956 – Big Bank Hank, American rapper (d. 2014) * 1956 – Robert Earl Keen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist *1957 – Darryl Dawkins, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015) * 1957 – Peter Moore, Australian footballer and coach * 1957 – Bryan Robson, English footballer and manager *1958 – Vicki Peterson, American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist *1959 – Brett Bodine, American race car driver * 1959 – Rob Ramage, Canadian ice hockey player and coach *1961 – Lars-Erik Torph, Swedish race car driver (d. 1989) *1962 – Chris Bryant, Welsh politician, Minister of State for Europe * 1962 – Susan Lindauer, American journalist and activist * 1962 – Brian Moore, English rugby player *1963 – Tracy Caulkins, Australian swimmer * 1963 – Petra Schneider, German swimmer *1964 – Ralph Recto, Filipino lawyer and politician * 1964 – Albert Dupontel, French actor and director *1965 – Mascarita Sagrada, Mexican wrestler * 1965 – Aleksey Zhukov, Russian footballer and coach *1966 – Marc Acito, American author and screenwriter *1967 – Michael Healy-Rae, Irish politician *1968 – Anders Borg, Swedish economist and politician, Swedish Minister for Finance * 1968 – Tom Dumont, American guitarist and producer *1969 – Manny Acta, Dominican-American baseball player, coach, manager, and sportscaster *1970 – Manfredi Beninati, Italian painter and sculptor * 1970 – Chris Jent, American basketball player and coach * 1970 – Malcolm D. Lee, American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor * 1970 – Ken Ueno, American composer *1971 – Mary J. Blige, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress * 1971 – Chris Willsher, English singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor *1972 – Christian Jacobs, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor * 1972 – Anthony Lledo, Danish composer * 1972 – Amanda Peet, American actress and playwright *1973 – Rockmond Dunbar, American actor * 1973 – Rahul Dravid, Indian cricketer and captain *1974 – Roman Görtz, German footballer * 1974 – Cody McKay, Canadian baseball player * 1974 – Jens Nowotny, German footballer *1975 – Rory Fitzpatrick, American ice hockey player * 1975 – Dan Luger, English rugby player and coach * 1975 – Matteo Renzi, Italian businessman and politician, 56th Prime Minister of Italy *1976 – Efthimios Rentzias, Greek basketball player *1977 – Shamari Buchanan, American football player * 1977 – Anni Friesinger-Postma, German speed skater * 1977 – Olexiy Lukashevych, Ukrainian long jumper *1978 – Vallo Allingu, Estonian basketball player * 1978 – Michael Duff, Irish footballer * 1978 – Emile Heskey, English footballer * 1978 – Stijn Schaars, Dutch footballer *1979 – Darren Lynn Bousman, American director and screenwriter * 1979 – Michael Lorenz, German footballer *1980 – Josh Hannay, Australian rugby league player * 1980 – Mike Williams, American football player *1982 – Tony Allen, American basketball player * 1982 – Son Ye-jin, South Korean actress *1983 – Turner Battle, American basketball player * 1983 – Matthew Palleschi, Canadian soccer player * 1983 – Ted Richards, Australian footballer * 1983 – Adrian Sutil, German race car driver *1984 – Kevin Boss, American football player * 1984 – Dario Krešić, Croatian footballer * 1984 – Matt Mullenweg, American web developer and businessman, co-created WordPress *1985 – Newton Faulkner, English singer-songwriter and guitarist * 1985 – Lucy Knisley, American author and illustrator *1987 – Scotty Cranmer, American motocross racer * 1987 – Danuta Kozák, Hungarian sprint canoer * 1987 – Daniel Semenzato, Italian footballer * 1987 – Jamie Vardy, English footballer * 1987 – Kim Young-kwang, South Korean actor and model *1988 – Rodrigo José Pereira, Brazilian footballer *1989 – Kane Linnett, Australian rugby league player *1990 – Ryan Griffin, American football player *1991 – Andrea Bertolacci, Italian footballer *1992 – Dani Carvajal, Spanish footballer * 1992 – Lee Seung-hoon, South Korean rapper and dancer *1993 – Michael Keane, English footballer * 1993 – Will Keane, English footballer *1995 – Klaartje Liebens, Belgian tennis player *1997 – Cody Simpson, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor Deaths * 705 – Pope John VI (b. 655) * 782 – Emperor Kōnin of Japan (b. 709) * 802 – Paulinus II of Aquileia, Italian priest, theologian, and saint (b. 726) * 812 – Staurakios, Byzantine emperor * 844 – Michael I Rangabe, Byzantine emperor (b. 770) * 887 – Boso of Provence, Frankish nobleman *1055 – Constantine IX Monomachos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1000) *1083 – Otto of Nordheim (b. 1020) *1266 – Swietopelk II, Duke of Pomerania *1494 – Domenico Ghirlandaio, Italian painter (b. 1449) *1495 – Pedro González de Mendoza, Spanish cardinal (b. 1428) *1547 – Pietro Bembo, Italian poet, scholar, and theorist (b. 1470) *1641 – Juan Martínez de Jáuregui y Aguilar, Spanish poet and painter (b. 1583) *1696 – Charles Albanel, French priest, missionary, and explorer (b. 1616) *1703 – Johann Georg Graevius, German scholar and critic (b. 1632) *1713 – Pierre Jurieu, French priest and theologian (b. 1637) *1735 – Danilo I, Metropolitan of Cetinje (b. 1670) *1753 – Hans Sloane, Irish-English physician and academic (b. 1660) *1762 – Louis-François Roubiliac, French-English sculptor (b. 1695) *1763 – Caspar Abel, German poet, historian, and theologian (b. 1676) *1771 – Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens, French philosopher and author (b. 1704) *1788 – François Joseph Paul de Grasse, French admiral (b. 1722) *1791 – William Williams Pantycelyn, Welsh composer and poet (b. 1717) *1798 – Heraclius II of Georgia (b. 1720) *1801 – Domenico Cimarosa, Italian composer and educator (b. 1749) *1836 – John Molson, Canadian businessman, founded the Molson Brewing Company (b. 1763) *1843 – Francis Scott Key, American lawyer, author, and songwriter (b. 1779) *1866 – Gustavus Vaughan Brooke, Irish actor (b. 1818) * 1866 – John Woolley, English minister and academic (b. 1816) *1867 – Stuart Donaldson, English-Australian businessman and politician, 1st Premier of New South Wales (b. 1812) *1882 – Theodor Schwann, German physiologist and biologist (b. 1810) *1891 – Georges-Eugène Haussmann, French urban planner (b. 1809) *1902 – Johnny Briggs, English cricketer and rugby player (b. 1862) *1904 – William Sawyer, Canadian merchant and politician (b. 1815) *1914 – Carl Jacobsen, Danish brewer and philanthropist (b. 1842) *1920 – Steinar Schjøtt, Norwegian philologist and lexicographer (b. 1844) *1923 – Constantine I of Greece (b. 1868) *1928 – Thomas Hardy, English novelist and poet (b. 1840) *1931 – James Milton Carroll, American pastor, historian, and author (b. 1852) *1937 – Nuri Conker, Turkish colonel and politician (b. 1882) *1941 – Emanuel Lasker, German mathematician, philosopher, and chess player (b. 1868) *1944 – Galeazzo Ciano, Italian politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1903) *1947 – Eva Tanguay, Canadian singer (b. 1879) *1952 – Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, French general (b. 1889) * 1952 – Aureliano Pertile, Italian tenor and educator (b. 1885) *1953 – Noe Zhordania, Georgian journalist and politician, Prime Minister of Georgia (b. 1868) *1954 – Oscar Straus, Austrian composer (b. 1870) *1957 – Robert Garran, Australian lawyer and politician, Solicitor-General of Australia (b. 1867) *1958 – Alec Rowley, English organist and composer (b. 1892) * 1958 – Edna Purviance, American actress (b. 1895) *1961 – Elena Gerhardt, German soprano and actress (b. 1883) *1963 – Arthur Nock, English-American scholar, theologian, and academic (b. 1902) *1965 – Wally Pipp, American baseball player (b. 1893) *1966 – Alberto Giacometti, Swiss sculptor and painter (b. 1901) * 1966 – Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indian academic and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of India (b. 1904) *1968 – Moshe Zvi Segal, Israeli linguist and scholar (b. 1876) *1969 – Richmal Crompton, English author and educator (b. 1890) *1972 – Padraic Colum, Irish poet and playwright (b. 1881) *1975 – Max Lorenz, German tenor and actor (b. 1901) *1980 – Barbara Pym, English author (b. 1913) *1981 – Beulah Bondi, American actress (b. 1889) *1985 – Edward Buzzell, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1895) * 1985 – William McKell, Australian lawyer and politician, 12th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1891) *1986 – Sid Chaplin, English author and screenwriter (b. 1916) * 1986 – Andrzej Czok, Polish mountaineer (b. 1948) *1987 – Albert Ferber, Swiss-English pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1911) *1988 – Pappy Boyington, American colonel and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1912) * 1988 – Isidor Isaac Rabi, Polish-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898) *1989 – Ray Moore, English radio host (b. 1942) *1990 – Carolyn Haywood, American author and illustrator (b. 1898) *1991 – Carl David Anderson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905) *1994 – Helmut Poppendick, German physician (b. 1902) *1995 – Josef Gingold, Belarusian-American violinist and educator (b. 1909) * 1995 – Onat Kutlar, Turkish author and poet (b. 1936) * 1995 – Lewis Nixon, American captain (b. 1918) * 1995 – Theodor Wisch, German general (b. 1907) *1996 – Roger Crozier, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1942) *1999 – Fabrizio De André, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1940) * 1999 – Naomi Mitchison, Scottish author and poet (b. 1897) * 1999 – Brian Moore, Irish-Canadian author and screenwriter (b. 1921) *2000 – Betty Archdale, English-Australian cricketer and educator (b. 1907) * 2000 – Ivan Combe, American businessman, invented Clearasil (b. 1911) * 2000 – Bob Lemon, American baseball player and manager (b. 1920) *2001 – Louis Krages, German-American race car driver and businessman (b. 1949) * 2001 – Denys Lasdun, English architect, co-designed the Royal National Theatre (b. 1914) *2002 – Henri Verneuil, Turkish-French director and playwright (b. 1920) *2003 – Jože Pučnik, Slovenian sociologist and politician (b. 1932) * 2007 – Solveig Dommartin, French-German actress (b. 1961) * 2007 – Robert Anton Wilson, American psychologist, author, poet, and playwright (b. 1932) *2008 – Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer and explorer (b. 1919) * 2008 – Carl Karcher, American businessman, co-founded Carl's Jr. (b. 1917) *2010 – Miep Gies, Austrian-Dutch humanitarian (b. 1909) * 2010 – Éric Rohmer, French director, screenwriter, and critic (b. 1920) *2011 – David Nelson, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1936) *2012 – Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, Iranian physicist and academic (b. 1980) * 2012 – Gilles Jacquier, French journalist and photographer (b. 1968) * 2012 – Edgar Kaiser, Jr, American-Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1942) * 2012 – Wally Osterkorn, American basketball player (b. 1928) * 2012 – Steven Rawlings, English astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic (b. 1961) * 2012 – David Whitaker, English composer and conductor (b. 1931) *2013 – Aaron Swartz, American programmer (b. 1986) * 2013 – Guido Forti, Italian businessman, founded the Forti Racing Team (b. 1940) * 2013 – Nguyễn Khánh, Vietnamese general and politician, 3rd President of South Vietnam (b. 1927) * 2013 – Mariangela Melato, Italian actress (b. 1941) * 2013 – Tom Parry Jones, Welsh chemist, invented the breathalyzer (b. 1935) * 2013 – Alemayehu Shumye, Ethiopian runner (b. 1988) *2014 – Keiko Awaji, Japanese actress (b. 1933) * 2014 – Muhammad Habibur Rahman, Indian-Bangladeshi jurist and politician, Prime Minister of Bangladesh (b. 1928) * 2014 – Chai Trong-rong, Taiwanese educator and politician (b. 1935) * 2014 – Ariel Sharon, Israeli general and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1928) *2015 – Jenő Buzánszky, Hungarian footballer and coach (b. 1925) * 2015 – Anita Ekberg, Swedish-Italian model and actress (b. 1931) * 2015 – Chashi Nazrul Islam, Bangladeshi director and producer (b. 1941) * 2015 – Vernon Benjamin Mountcastle, American neuroscientist and academic (b. 1918) *2016 – Monte Irvin, American baseball player (b. 1919) * 2016 – David Margulies, American actor (b. 1937) *2017 – Adenan Satem, Malaysian politician and Chief Minister of Sarawak, Malaysia (b. 1944) Holidays and observances * Children's Day (Tunisia) * Christian feast day: ** Anastasius of Suppentonia (Roman Catholic) ** Leucius of Brindisi (Roman Catholic) ** Mary Slessor (Church of England) ** Paulinus II of Aquileia ** Pope Hyginus ** Theodosius the Cenobiarch ** Thomas of Cori ** Vitalis of Gaza (Roman Catholic) ** January 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) * Earliest day on which Triodion can fall, while February 14 is the latest; celebrated 70 days before Easter. (Eastern Orthodox) * Eugenio María de Hostos Day (Puerto Rico) * Independence Resistance Day (Morocco) * Kagami biraki (Japan) * National Human Trafficking Awareness Day (United States) * Republic Day (Albania) External links * BBC: On This Day * * Today in Canadian History Category:Days of the year Category:January